wtf_man wrote on Nov 11, 2011, 22:49:Done for the day. So far, it's looking like the best game in the series (other than the UI and food needing to be more needed / meaningful). I progressed the main quest to the point of killing my first dragon / activating my first shout... then concentrated on side quests for the Companions (Warriors Guild).

I'm having an effin' blast!!!

It has a nice flavour and look but it's very RPG-lite. Hardly the best game in the series as it's been dumbed down a vast amount for broad audience appeal. I can live with it but it's rather dissapointing. ... ... (snip)

I think "everyone" on post 28 gave out some good answers... but I'll re-iterate.

The first thing that counts, to me, is "Am I immersed in this world"? Compared to Oblivion and Morrowind... absolutely. They finally got quest flow and main story "presented correctly", so you don't get bored and think to yourself "what do I do next?" At the same time it's not "hand holding" and you can do whatever you want. It's the balance of these things that Elder Scrolls games have needed for ages.

As for nitpicking the rest:

3 Stats, No Classes, and no Major Minor Skills:Personally... I prefer skill based RPGs to classes. And that's what Bethesda has evolved to. Meridian 59 and Asheron's Call are good MMO examples of skill based RPGs. You "create" you class by spending some sort of points, or always using the type of skill that you want to develop. While the 3 Stats + Perk System may seem dumbed down compared to traditional 6-8 stats and points spent exactly on a large amount of skills to choose from...I think the perk skill tree replaces that nicely, and most of the skills are still there.

No Birth signs:Guardian Stones are indeed the replacement. They actually make more sense, because you can activate what you want as you go, instead of being stuck with 1 bonus at the beginning of the game.

Equipment Deterioration:I admit, I wish that was still in... but lightly implemented. A good sword should last several real-life days of hacking at mobs before you have to do any maintenance.

Throwing Weapons:I don't really care... and didn't ever use them in the previous games. There are plenty of "ranged" choices... including shouts, now.

No spell making / Potion Naming:Well, I guess that's more restrictive for casters, but honestly crafting potions and enchanting isn't enough? Ok... I'm sure someone will come up with a mod that will let you make spells and name potions again. It's not a huge game breaker for me... again... immersion in the world comes first to me, and Skyrim does that well.

The rest of the list:Mr. "everyone" answered those pretty well.

The argument of whether it's a "true CRPG" / or "RPG Lite" is subjective. For me, if I can't get immersed in the world, it's not worth any label other than "it sucks". I've been playing CRPGs since the early 80's and table-top RPGs since the late 70's (Yes, I'm an old fart that isn't part of the ADHD Entitlement Generation). I find the amount of character "micro-managment" in Skyrim to be sufficient. I actually do have a strategy for the perk tree, so obviously it's not all that "dumbed down".

Are there some little "micro-managing" bits that I miss? Sure... but nothing overly game breaking to be "Disappointed" in the game as a whole.

I stand by my original opinion... I think this game is looking to be the best in the series... both presentation-wise and immersion-wise.

If some little micro-managment thing is not available to you anymore, and it ruins the whole game for you... maybe you are TOO "Hard Core".